The First Hastings Blossom Festival queen recalls a bygone era

Ellen Lola Ethel Begley nee Jillings' smile is still as bright as the day she was picked as the first Hastings Blossom Queen. Photo/ Warren Buckland.

Ellen Jillings gave a big smile to the cameras when she was picked as the first Hastings Blossom Queen in 1953, and hasn't stopped smiling since.

The sprightly 80-year-old, Ellen (Ellen Lola Ethel Begley nee Jillings), said the first blossom festival was a massive event, done with pomp and significant ceremony.

"I was 14 when I was hand-picked by Sir James Wattie to be on the float, it was around the time I won a dancing championship in South Canterbury.

"I was the queen of my float.

"My father worked as head engineer for Wattie's and he was asked if I could go on the float.

"My mother made the dress I wore for the float. There was a little girl on the float with me and she was strapped into the shell [for safety reasons], just in case something happened."

The first blossom festival queen sits prim and proper on her float, next to a toddler. Photo/ Civic Treasures & Archives.

She said it was "quite an experience" and everyone from across Hawke's Bay was there to watch.

"The whole town came out to watch.

"Trains used to come from Gisborne for the festival, the whole of Hastings went out to enjoy.

"All the factories, shops, schools, all had floats for the festival. There were quite a lot of floats. They used to have a prize for best float."

She recalled streets being closed to cater to food stalls and knick- knack stalls making it quite an attractive event "which used to bring people out".

Unfortunately, after her role in the festival in '53, she didn't get a chance to regularly go to future festivals.

"I got married when I was 18, and by the time I was 21 I had three children. I really didn't have time to go to the festivals.

"Occasionally I used to take my children to watch the parade when they were young."

She believes the festival now isn't like it used to be back in her days. Certainly it's calmed down since the '60 became famous for its so-called 'riot'.

The float parade had been cancelled because of wet weather and this, combined with an influx of young people in the city centre, overcrowding in hotels and overbearing crowd-control tactics (like the use of fire-hoses) created a situation where fights readily broke out.

Moral panic in the wake of this incident inflated it in the popular imagination to a full-scale riot instigated by rebellious young people.

It probably wasn't actually as bad as that, she says.

"I did hear about a scuffle in 1960 when they had to hose people down. I believe it was young people, full of booze who got carried away", she laughs.

Ellen says the festival could never cause the same emotions today.

"There is not that much interest in it as there used to be like when it started and the first few years.

"[Back then] virtually when the parade was over they would be making flower decorations for the next year's festival."

Ellen's daughter Diane Kahuroa said dancing had continued to play a part in her life, no matter what she went through.

"She was an accomplished dancer back then and she still dances as an 80 year-old.

"She's always been a competitive woman and always been a dancer."

Ellen said she started Scottish dancing but because of her "bad shoulders" she could not continue.

"I do line dancing now because they don't require the use of my arms. I also belong to the athletic society. My name is on the cup somewhere.

"I love music, movement and light exercise. I have rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis which makes it hard to do much else."

The 2019 Hastings Blossom Parade will be held on September 14.